Carbureter.



PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906'.

S. P. SANDERS.

GARBURETER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN P. SANDERS, OF CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA.

CARBURETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed May 10, 1905- Serial No. 259,738.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN P. SANDERS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cupertino, in the county of Santa Clara and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carbureters, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for making carburetedair for lighting, heating, cooking, or other purposes, and pertainsespecially to machines for generating gas from gasolene or othersuitable liquid hydrocarbon.

My object is to lessen the cost of the construction and to provide aclean, safe, simple, and practical machine for making a gas of ab.-solutely uniform standard.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts, as hereinafter more fully described and'claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectionalView of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation of same. Fig. 3 is across-section of the oil-well. Fig. 4 is a detail in partial section,showing operating means of three-way cock.

A represents a tank adapted to contain water, in which the bell 2operates. This bell carries a central downwardly-extending stem or shaft3, having a snug sliding fit in the ram-cylinder 4, which latterprojects up from the bottom of the tank and is open below to a suitablesource of fluid-pressure supply. The admission and discharge of thefluid into the ram beneath the stem 3 to reciprocate the bell areaccomplished by suitable means hereinafter to be described.

Suitably arranged within the tank A and projecting up into the bellabove the waterlevel is a carbureter-cylinder 5 and also an oilwell 6,both suitably fixed in the bottom of the tank and open at their upperends.

The carbureter is filled with a wicking or absorbent filling 7, ofburlap, sponge, or other suitable material, and. the well 6 is soconnected with a suitable source of hydrocarbonsupply that a quantity ofhydrocarbon is always maintained in the well. From this well atconvenient intervals a predetermined quantity of liquid is dipped up anddeposited into the carbureter above the filling 7 to become absorbed anddistributed by the latter, so that when the bell rises to draw in acharge of air from the outside through the inlet-pipe 8 and the pipe 9,which enters the bottom of the carbureter, this air so drawn in will becharged with the volatile liquid distributed through the filling.Exhaust from the bell 2 as the latter falls also occurs through thecarbureter, so that the air becomes thoroughly saturated to form a richilluminating or fuel gas, as may be desired.

The periodical delivery of the liquid into the carbureter may beaccomplished by any suitable means. As here shown the stem 3 has aradial arm 10, from which depends a rod or wire 11, carrying at itslower end a bucket 12. This bucket consists, preferably, of a section ofpipe closed at one end and pivotally suspended from the rod 11, so as tohave a limited tilting movement, and the well 6 is preferably elongatedor oval in crosssection to prevent the bucket from swinging from side toside. When the bucket is filled, it will normally stand in inclineposition, as indicated in Fig. 1, so that as it rises its more elevatedend will engage a projecting wire or wires contained in the duct 14,which connects the well with the carbureter above the filling 7. Withthe bucket thus partaking of the movement of the bell the bucket will goto the bottom of the well and fill as the bell lowers, and as the bellrises it will automatically discharge its load into the pipe 14, thewires 13 serving not only to trip the bucket, but to lead the liquidinto the pipe 14.

Any convenient form of receiver for the manufactured gas may be used,and the gasolene or other liquid from which the gas is made may bestored inany desired or convenient manner or place so long as a constantsupply is maintained in the well. I prefer the construction hereinshown, in which the gas-receiver and gasolene-supply tank are combinedin a single structure.

B represents a tank adapted to contain water, in which the bell 15 risesand falls in the usual manner. Suitably supported within the tank .onthe standards 16 is a submerged gasolene or oil tank 17, from the bottomof which extends a pipe 18 to connect with the well 6 of the generatorpart of the apparatus. The tank 17 is designed to be filled through apipe 19, having its filling end about on the same level with the top ofthe tank. Except during the act of filling the end of the pipe 19 may beclosed by cap 20 to prevent evaporation.

21 is a small air-vent pipe extending up through the tanks B and 17 andopening into a small dome 22, formed in the top of the oiltank 17. Theouter end of the pipe 21 is open to the atmosphere to permit of theegress and ingress of air from and to the oil-tank during the filling ofthe latter or during the discharge thereof into the well. The tanks Band 17 are so positioned relative to the well 6 that a proper level ofhydrocarbon will always be maintained in the well. Acheckvalve 23 inpipe 18 prevents the liquid from being forced out of the Well on thedescent of the bell 2. The pipe 9, through a portion of which bothinhaust and exhaust to and from the carbureter take place, passes upthrough the bottom of the tank B and terminates in a return-bend havingits lower end discharged beneath the water-level within said tank andwithin the space inclosed by the bell 15. The purpose of the return-bendis to provide a water seal or check against the backflow of gas frombell 15 when the latter descends or when the bell 2 rises. As an extrapreventive in this regard a check-valve 9 may be also used. A drawoffcock 9 may be disposed in the pipe 9, and preferably the filling 7 iscontinued from the carbureter down into the pipe 9 and across thedrainsection in which the valve 9 is located. The capacities of the bell2 and of the bucket 12 are so proportioned that each inhaust of the bell2 induces a suitable supply of air, which on becoming properly saturatedwith the volatile hydrocarbon produces ust the right mixture.

It is understood that the lifting of the inhaust or breathing bell 2 isdone by the ram 4 or other outside force, but that said bell falls bygravity and its weight is sufliciently greater than bell 15 so that thevapor mix ture in bell 2 will pass across to bell 15 and operate toraise the latter. At the same time the difference in weight between thetwo bells should not be great enough to cause any material fluctuationin the pressure of the gas in the mains leading to the burner. A

stop 15 limits the upward movement of bell 15. With the latter againststop 15 bell 2 will cease to fall.

Various mechanisms may be employed to regulate the inlet and dischargeof a propel ling medium into the ram. In the present instance I haveshown a three-way cook 24, adapted to turn the water from the supplypipe25 into the ram or to turn the water from the ram into thedischarge-pipe 26 and shut off the supply from pipe 25, according as thebell is to lift or to lower. The opera tion of this valve is preferablycontrolled by the rise and fall of the bell. The stem of the valve 24carries a rocking member 27, which has a limited oscillating movementindepend ent of the stem. This rocking member is here shown in the shapeof a T, having its upper horizontal arms made tubular to contain aquantity of mercury or other suitable shiftable weight for the purposeof causing the arm to work quickly to turn the valve and immediately cutoff or turn on the water from the supply-pipe 25. Normally this rockingmember will stand at an incline to one side or the other of a verticalline supported by the stops 28 on an arm 29, carried by anoperating-lever 30, which has its weight end connected by a cord orchain 31 with a bell 2. The function of the arm 30 is to lift the member27 until the latter ap proaches or slightly passes the vertical. As soonas this occurs, however, the mercury or other shiftable weight containedin the crosspiece of member 27 causes the arm to instantly descend onthe opposite side, therebyhitting a stop 32 on the valve-stem to rockthe latter and turn the cock in the desired way.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The tank 17 being filledwith liquid, flow. therefrom to the well 6 takes place through the pipe18. Assuming the cock 24 to be turned to let in water to the ram 4;, thebell 2 is lifted, causing the bucket 12 to dip up a predeterminedquantity of liquid and at the proper moment, or when the bell 2 hasdrawn in a full charge of air, discharge the liquid so dipped up intothe carbureter, where it soaks through the absorbent filling therein. Atthe moment the valve 24 is reversed by the falling of the arm 30, and ifthe receiver 15 is not already filled, the bell 2 will begin to descend.This causes the air within the bell 2 to be exhausted through thecarbureter, carrying with it the volatile liquid distributed through thefilling across through pipe 9 into the receiver. A checkvalve 32 in theair-inlet pipe 8 prevents any gas escaping to the outer atmosphere. Fromthe receiver the gas may be conducted as desired through theservice-pipe 33, which passes through the bottom of tank A and has anend opening into the receiver above the waterlevel.

The device is very simple in construction, is compact, and hascomparatively few parts, with very little liability for them to get outof order.

The operation in generating the gas is analogous to breathing throughthe lungs, since the air drawn in through the carbureter picks up aquantity of the hydrocarbon still remaining in the absorbent filling,and on exhalation further becomes saturated from the charge of liquiddelivered into the carbureter. The resulting gas of one inhalation ofthe apparatus is consumed before another inhalation begins. Thus the gasis made fresh at the instant it is ready for use, and the making of itstops as soon as the burners are turned off. Therefore there is noquantity of gas stored to become stale or to be condensed back intoliquid in the pipes. The bucket serves to maintain an agitation of theliquid in the well, so that the liquid which is actually delivered intothe carbureter is always of the same denthe capacity of the bucket.

- opening into the top of the bell,

in said tank and means for delivering hydrosity and the generated gas isall of equal richness. The proportions of oil and air may be changed atany time by changing or varying The advantage of twice passing the airthrough the carbureter is that it provides a more thorough mixing of theair and vapor and a more even, a richer, and a better mix ture than ifpassed only once through the carbureter, as is customary in all machinesor carbureters of which I have any knowledge. Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent, is-

1. A carbureting-machine having in combination two water-containingtanks, a bell in each tank, a receptacle submerged in one of said tanksand containing a liquid hydrocarbon, two tubes fixed to the bottom ofthe other tank and rising above the water-level thereof, one of saidtubes containing an ab sorbent filling, means connecting thehydrocarbon-receptacle of the one tank with one of the tubes of theother tank, an air-supply connecting with the tube containing thefilling, a pivotally-mounted bucket suspended from the bell andoperatable in the tube which receives the hydrocarbon from thereceptacle, a pipe connection between the two tubes, and means wherebyon the raising of the bell the bucket is elevated to deliver its chargeof hydrocarbon into the pipe connection for saturating the filling ofthe other tube, said bell, in its descent, forcing the car bureted airout of said filled tube, and means conducting the carbureted air to thebell of the other tank.

2. In a gas-machine the combination of a water-containing tank, a belltherein, a carbureter comprising a tube fixed in the tank and providedwith an absorbent filling, said tube a second tube carbon to said secondtube, a transverse connection between the two tubes, and means includinga pivotally-suspended bucket operatable in the hydrocarbon and connectedwith the bell, for delivering predetermined quantities of liquid fromthe second tube into the first tube above the-filling thereof. v

3. In a gas-machine, the combination of a source of liquid-hydrocarbonsupply, a.gas-

receiver, a tank to contain water, a bell in said tank, a carbureter 1nthe tank and discharging into the bell, said carbureter comprising atube submerged in the tank and containing an absorbent filling, saidtube having its upper end open, means for delivering predeterminedquantities of liquid from said source of supply into the carbureter,said delivery means including a pivotally-suspended bucket operatable inthe hydrocarbon and connected with the bell, means whereby on thelifting of the bell a charge of air is drawn thereinto and through thecarburetor, and

connections between the interior of the bell and said receiver andthrough the carbureter whereby on the falling of the bell the airpreviously drawn thereinto is made to pass again through the carbureter.

4. A carbureting-machine having in combination two water tanks placedside by side, a receiver for liquid hydrocarbon submerged in one of saidtanks, two openended tubes fixed in the other tank and substantiallysubmerged therein, and extending above the water-level thereof, oneofsaid tubes containing a filling of absorbent material, and the othertube connecting with and adapted to hold liquid hydrocarbon, a bell foreach tank, a tiltable bucket operatable in the liquidholding tube andconnected to move with the bell of that tank, a pipe forming atransverse connection between the two tubes and into which pipe thebucket empties its charge at intervals, means for vaporizing the liquiddelivered to the tube containing the filling, and means for deliveringthe carbureted air to the bell of the other tank.

5. In a gas-machine, the combination of a carbureter having an absorbentfilling, a carbureted air receiver, connections between the carbureterand receiver means for delivering a predetermined quantity of liquidinto said carbureter, said means including a tubularhydrocarbon-receiverbeing ovoidal in cross-section and a tubular bucket closed at one endand open at the other end and operable therein to make periodic deliveryof hydrocarbon to the carbureter, and means for inducing a current ofair through said carbureter in one direction and for returning the samethrough the carbureter in an opposite direction to the receiver.

6. In a gas-machine, the combination of a watertank, a bell therein, acarbureter in the tank and opening into the top of the bell, agas-receiver connected with thecarbureter, an oil-well in the tank,means for delivering liquid into said well, means operated by the bellto discharge the quantity of liquid from the well into the carbureter,said last-named means including a pipe connecting the oilwell with thecarbureter, a suspended bucket operatable in the oil-well and tiltableto discharge into said connecting-pipe, and means connecting the bucketwith the bell, connections between the carbureter and a source ofair-supply, means for lifting the bell to induce a current of airthrough the carbureter and means to permit the bell to fall to expel theair so induced, through the carbureter.

7. In a gas-machine, a carbureter, a gasreceiver connected therewith,anoil-well connected with a source of supply, connections between thewell and carbureter above the normal level of the liquid in the well,means for alternately creating suction and compression in thecarbureter, and means operated by said suction and compression means fordelivering a predetermined quantity of liquid from said well into thecarbureter, said lastnamed means including a bucket connected to movewith the bell and operatable in the oil-well, said bucket being tiltablymounted whereby it automatically discharges into the connection betweensaid well and carbureter.

8. In gas-machine construction, the combination of a tank, a belltherein, a carbureter, a receiver connected with the carbureter, meansto reciprocate the bell, an oil-well connected with the carbureter andmeans to de liver a predetermined quantity of liquid into saidcarbureter, said well being of greater diameter in one direction than inthe other and said means for delivering liquid from said well into thecarbureter including an elongated bucket supported intermediate of itsends and suspended from the bell, and trip means in the path of thebucket to effect its discharge.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN P. SANDERS. Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, HENRY P. TRIooU.

